Mumbai: Last Saturday night, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddiqui was brutally murdered by three assailants in Mumbai’s Bandra East area. The incident occurred outside the office of his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddiqui, near the Kherwadi signal in Bandra. Baba Siddiqui was shot three times and was immediately rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he was declared dead at 11:27 pm. His body has been taken to Cooper Hospital for postmortem.
Following the shocking incident, two suspects were arrested near Colgate Ground in Nirmal Nagar, while the third suspect remains at large. The murder has raised serious questions about the law and order situation in Maharashtra, especially with assembly elections approaching next month. Baba Siddiqui, a prominent Muslim leader in Mumbai, had represented the Bandra (West) seat thrice in the Assembly and was known for his close connections with Bollywood stars.
Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar condemned the attack as extremely unfortunate. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated that Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar informed him about the detention of two alleged shooters, one from Uttar Pradesh and the other from Haryana. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the charge of the Home Department, visited Lilavati Hospital shortly after the incident.
Baba Siddiqui had joined the NCP earlier this year. Leaders from various political parties expressed their condolences and raised concerns over the deteriorating law and order situation in Maharashtra. NCP leader Sharad Pawar criticized Home Minister Fadnavis, stating that the ruling party should take responsibility for the incident and step down.
